ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown School District (ASD) officials recently broke ground on a new elementary school and community building designed by locally based architectural firm Breslin Ridyard Fadero Architects.

Serving most of the city of Allentown, ASD is the fourth-largest school district in Pennsylvania, with 16,628 students spread across three high schools, four middle schools and 15 elementary schools according to 2016-2017 enrollment numbers in ASD’s District Data Snapshot.

This project consists of a new 114,000-square-foot elementary school that will house approximately 875 students from kindergarten through fifth grade, and staff from Cleveland and McKinley elementary schools. The south entrance to the school fronts West Gordon Street and accommodates a dedicated bus drop-off and pick-up zone for eight buses. The north entrance accommodates a dedicated parent drop-off for 20 cars surrounding a parking area built for 79 vehicles. Both entrances access a common lobby that connects the school’s two distinct components: a four-story academic wing and a two-story core facility containing the multi-purpose room, stage, kitchen and music room on the main floor, with the library and art room above.

A two-story 10,000-square-foot community service building is attached to the western end of the academic wing and will house pre-K classrooms, an adult education meeting room, food pantry and potential health services space.

The project’s educational goals align with ASD’s strategic framework and 21st century learning initiatives. Equity of access, safety, personalized learning, collaboration, and technology integration are core values expressed in the school’s design. With a variety of spaces scaled for differently sized small and large group instruction, the building becomes a flexible teaching tool encouraging learning outside the classroom, supporting current styles and future changes in education delivery. Site amenities include a playground that will be available for community use.

WFMZ reports that the district hopes to open doors to the new school in June 2020 that will welcome extra students overcrowded at Ramos and Central elementary schools, and serve as a public space for community gatherings.

“That community building will be able to provide a food bank, it will also provide a health services aspect and then the second floor of the community house will hold a preschool,” said Thomas Smith, director of facility services for Allentown School District, to WFMZ.

A report from WFMZ contributed to this story.

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DARLINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — Darlington County School District (DCSD) recently broke ground on the first of three new elementary schools to be constructed in Darlington County.

The DCSD serves over 10,000 students in 23 schools; the district announced back in March that the new school will be built in Darlington on the site of the existing Cain Elementary School, while the other two schools will be located in Hartsville and Lamar.

District officials and the construction team extensively evaluated over 19 sites in Hartsville and eight sites in Lamar before selecting the final locations of the new schools. Lamar’s new school, which will combine Lamar Elementary School and Spaulding Elementary School, will be built on property directly across from the intersection of County Club Road and Lamar Highway. Hartsville’s new elementary school, which will combine Washington Street Elementary School and West Hartsville Elementary School, will be built on Bay Road between Bobo Newsom Highway and Westwinds Drive.

News & Press reports that the new Darlington-area elementary school will combine the student populations of Cain and Brunson-Dargan elementary schools, both of which are over 50 years old, and will be constructed on the current site of Cain Elementary.

The school board reportedly awarded an $18.3 million bid from Edcon Inc., based in Peak, S.C., which was the lowest of five bids submitted. Brownstone Construction group is currently serving as project manager. The Darlington school’s bid is reportedly the first to come before the board. It is also the only one of the three elementary schools to be built on property already owned by the district.

The three schools in Darlington, Hartsville and Lamar will be built simultaneously, according to the News & Press, with the expectation that construction will begin at Cain in September.

According to News 13, the district’s new superintendent says the new school will be built with student safety in mind.

“It shows commitment from the board for Darlington County School District, commitment to the kids and to the communities about progress, so for a new superintendent walking in the door you couldn’t ask for much better than to be able to build new schools for our kids,” said Dr. Tim Newman, DCSD superintendent, to News 13.

Reports from News 13 and News & Press contributed to this story.

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